Scientists sniff out Thailand’s first truffle species

Scientists have unearthed two new types of truffle in Thailand's far north, a first for Southeast Asia.

AFP Relaxnews

Researchers at Chiang Mai university said they had identified two brand new species and confirmed that tuber magnatum – the same species as Italy’s much sought after white truffle – had been found in a national park surrounding Mount Suthep in northwestern Thailand.”We confirmed that they are truffles both from their DNA and their physical look,” Jaturong Khamla, said one of the researchers, following the publication of their paper.

The first species, a white-coloured truffle, was discovered in 2014 and has been given the name tuber thailanddicum.

The second one, brown on the outside but with a white interior, was found in 2015 and has been named tuber lannaense.

“These are first truffles found in a tropical climate,” a press release announcing the discovery said.

Thailand’s mountainous north often experiences cooler and wetter weather than the kind of year-round tropical heat experienced in the rest of the country – conditions more suitable for growing truffles.

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